‘West Balkan battles still a risk unless we help states join EU’

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 14/04/05

EU politicians must find the courage to help the countries of the Western Balkans join the European Union or risk the region descending back into chaos, the chairman of a high-level panel has warned.

Giuliano Amato, who chaired the International Commission on the Balkans, described the region as the Union's "undeclared colony".

He said the EU must address the fraught 'final status' issues and the countries' membership of the EU "as soon as possible".

The former Italian prime minister said lethargy about enlargement among older EU member states was a serious concern with some leaders trapped by electorates wary of EU enlargement but demanding stability in the future.

"They are sometimes prisoners," he said. "It is very easy to think that there would be further instability creating the risk of new conflict…if you don't find the courage then eventually the blame is on you."

Describing the French government's recent decision to hold a referendum on each future enlargement of the EU as "a very clear signal", Amato said that the EU nonetheless needed to decide if it wanted to keep up indefinitely what amounted to a colonialist role in the Western Balkans.

"We keep an enormous amount of manpower there," he said. "Does it make sense, this undeclared colony… should we divert our resources towards healthier purposes?"

Currently the EU along with other international players runs much of the Bosnian government and is heavily involved in Kosovo.

Amato's comments came as the International Commission unveiled its 64-page report on the state of the Balkans and relations with the EU.

The 19-strong panel that drew up the report included five ex-prime ministers, among them Belgium's Jean-Luc Dehaene, Sweden's Carl Bildt and Ilir Meta of Albania. The report highlights the EU's need to engage in the region and boost economic growth.

It calls on the EU to hold a conference in late 2006 setting out the path to EU membership for each of the countries in the region.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) have all been offered membership of the EU, although few are near that goal.

Amato also called upon the EU to issue "smart visas" for thousands of young Balkan citizens to avoid them "falling into the past".

"[EU membership] is the only dream that they have at the moment, except dreaming of the past," he said.

A Commission source said the document was "an extremely valuable contribution" adding that some recommendations would "feed very directly into policymaking".

The International Commission on the Balkans, a high-level group, chaired by former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato, on 12 April 2005 presented its report 'The Balkans in Europe's Future'. The panel warned that EU politicians had to find the courage to help the countries of the Western Balkans join the European Union or risk the region descending back into chaos.

International Commission on the Balkans: Report: The Balkans in Europe's Future http://www.cls-sofia.org/uploads/files/Projects%20files/International%20Commission%20on%20the%20Balkans.pdf

International Commission on the Balkans http://www.balkan-commission.org/

---